11/01/24 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 11 January, the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) approved by 38 votes to none, with one abstention, the political agreement reached on 14 November with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU on the exposure of workers to lead and diisocyanates (see EUROPE 13292/22). The overall occupational limit value for diisocyanates will be set at 6 µg NCO/m3 (the maximum concentration to which a worker may be exposed during an eight-hour working day) and at 12 µg NCO/m3 for short-term exposure (i.e. for a period of 15 minutes). The European Commission will review these limits by 2029. As far as lead is concerned, the new Directive will limit occupational exposure to 0.03 mg/m3 (compared with 0.15 mg/m3 currently) and the biological limit value to 15 µg/100 ml (compared with 70 μg Pb/100 ml). (SP)